(JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces fired a Patriot missile at an unmanned drone that approached Israeli airspace from Syria.

The IDF was unable to verify whether the drone was hit. It retreated from the border, the IDF said.

A commander in the regional alliance supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad said the unmanned aerial vehicle was operating in Quneitra in southern Syria in the Golan Heights when it was targeted.

“The IDF’s aerial defense system identified the threat in advance before it crossed into Israeli territory,” the IDF spokesperson’s unit said in a statement. “The IDF will not allow the State of Israel’s aerial sovereignty to be violated and will operate to prevent any attempts to harm its civilians.”

Last year, the IDF used the Patriot missile defense system at least three times in order to shoot down incoming drones from Syria.